Supporting Mental Health Initiatives in the Ithaca Community

Month: May 2017

Emma Stone, who won the 2016 Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in La La Land, has kicked off the Child Mind Institute’s #MyYoungerSelf video series for Mental Health Awareness Month. The 28-year-old Stone discusses her struggles with anxiety and panic disorder.

What I would tell kids that are going through anxiety, which I have and can relate to, is that you’re so normal it’s crazy. So many people—I mean, to say that “you’re so normal, it’s crazy” is a pretty funny thing to say—but, it is so normal.

Everyone experiences a version of anxiety or worry in their lives. And maybe we go through it in a different or more intense way for longer periods of time. But there’s nothing wrong with you.

To be a sensitive person, that cares a lot, that takes things in in a deep way, is actually part of what makes you amazing. And is one of the greatest gifts of life. You think a lot, and you feel a lot, and you feel deeply. And it’s the best. The trade off—I wouldn’t trade it for the world, even when there are really hard times. There are so many tools you can use to help yourself in those times.

It does gets better and easier as life goes on, and you start to get to know yourself more and what will trigger certain instances of anxiety and where you feel comfortable and safe.

So, I would just say, don’t ever feel like you are a weirdo for it. We are all weirdos!

#MyYoungerSelf is a series of honest stories from public figures about growing up with a mental health or learning disorder—what they would tell their younger selves about mental health. Click here to keep track of all the videos in the series throughout Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States.

#MyYoungerSelf is part of the institute’s annual public education campaign, Speak Up for Kids, which promotes awareness of children’s mental health issues and providing needed information to families, educators, the media, and policymakers. Speak Up for Kids aims to counter the stigma for the one in five children struggling with mental health or learning disorders.

The Child Mind Institute is an independent, national nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders. Its teams work “to deliver the highest standards of care, advance the science of the developing brain, and empower parents, professionals, and policymakers to support children when and where they need it most.”